My punches were correct - Indongo

Fri, 25 August 2017 19:55
by Kelvin ChiringaSports

Former IBF and WBA boxing champion Julius Indongo has defended his ﬁghting style and game play against the now crowned junior welterweight champion Terence Crawford which critics had said was pathetic.

Speaking at his ﬁrst press conference after landing from Nebraska this week, Namibia’s leading world-class boxing wonder boy had a few words for his critics saying every single ﬁght designs his styles and punches.

Indongo’s punches had been criticised as to have been wild and off the mark leaving his head vulnerable which opened up for Crawford who was sharper and to the point.

“I use all punches as far as my ﬁghting style is concerned. Regarding straight punches, it all depends on how your opponent is coming. How could I give straight punches when the guy was coming in a way that I could see a straight punch was not possible?” jabbed Indongo.

Indongo admitted that Crawford was smart and thus his combinations had to adjust to what was playing out before him while the wild boos from a crowd of 12,121 spectators did not bother him an inch.

“It all depends on the manner of the ﬁght. There is no way you can catch a smart boxer with one/two like before. These days in boxing we use skill and mind. All the punches I threw were correct,” he said. Explaining his ﬁght, Indongo said his game plan was to open up full throttle in the third round, but his opponent rode his punches at every turn, frustrating his attempts to recover his losses from the second round.

“Even Crawford never caught me with a straight punch apart for the one who got me when I went down for the ﬁrst time. I was trying to adjust, I had lost the second round, and if you check, in the third round I was trying to pick up my pace and get into a combination of four punches. I wanted to go one/ two with consequent uppercuts, but he stepped back,” he explained.

Nestor Tobias said although it was good to take advice now and then to improve next time, critics will always shout the loudest each time one loses and the least when one suffers a defeat.

“In every ﬁght, you learn. We meet different people and coaches, and you add to what you have from what you learn. You do not take everything but just a few things. When you lose people will say a lot, but if you win, they do not tell you that,” he said.

However, Indongo will get into a sabbatical leave before he bounces back into the ring although Tobias was not in a position to say when this could be and with who he would likely next spar.

“We will pick ourselves up and take it forward,” said Namibia’s successful boxing coach. Regarding the unfair criticism poured over him on social media, Indongo is not fazed.

He said he is rather concerned about his legacy more than anything as well as inspiring the many young people following his dreams. He pleaded with the mainstream media to counter the vitriol coming from social media to assist in sending the right messages to grow the sport at home so that young people will not be made to chicken out. Indongo is by no doubt Namibia’s most celebrated boxing champion with a glittering record of 23 wins, the major highlight of which was his exploits in Russia where he sent Eduardo Troyanovsky gasping for breath after a sound knockout punch which ﬂoored him within a stunning 40 seconds.

Indongo also entered the Glasgow arena against the much hyped about Ricky Burns whom he again humbled in 12 rounds of brilliant but appalling ﬁst ﬁghts. The Crawford Showdown will go down in history as his only defeat in professional boxing and by no doubt, Indongo has managed to raise the ﬂ ag higher.